Sara Errani reached the French Open quarter-finals with victory over Svetlana Kuznetsova on Sunday at Roland Garros.
Italian knocks out former champion while Kerber battles through
Sara Errani reached the French Open quarter-finals with a 6-0, 7-5 win over Svetlana Kuznetsova and will now face Angelique Kerber for a place in the semi-finals.
The Italian has been the form player on clay this year winning tournaments in Acapulco, Barcelona and Budapest. She also reached the Australian Open quarter-finals in January on hardcourts.
After a tough opening game on a cold, windy Philippe Chatrier centre Court, Errani, who had never gone beyond the second round at Roland Garros before this year took total control as former champion Kuznetsova struggled to put her game together.
The first set was completed in just 30 minutes and it was more of the same at the start of the second as Errani, one of the smaller players on the circuit at just 1.64m, used her mobility and claycourt expertise to good effect.
Errani moved 2-0 up before Kuznetsova finally found some form, breaking the Italian to love to open her account.
The 2009 champion who had beaten Errani in five previous meetings levelled at 2-2 and had a break point in the next game to move ahead, but Errani saved that with a blistering forehand winner at the end of a long rally.
Two more break points followed two games later and Kuznetsova converted the first of these to move 4-3 up. She then served for the set at 5-4 up but was broken to love.
The left-handed Kerber took the next two games and finally secured her quarter-final place on her third match point with a forehand winner on a poor return by the Croatian, who suffered nine double faults on her way to elimination.
"I have played good games but I must stay concentrated," the 25-year-old said.
"I am happy, I am curious to see how far I can go, what level I can get to."
Rise
The 21st seed will now play 10th seed Angelique Kerber of Germany, who defeated Petra Martic of Croatia 6-3, 7-5, for a spot in the last four.
The German's rise has been one of the stories of the past year. She was ranked outside the top 70 when she lost to Laura Robson in the opening round at Wimbledon last summer and by August had dropped out of the top 100.
But she went all the way to the semi-finals at the US Open later the same month and has not looked back.
She has already won a title in Paris this season and another in Copenhagen, and today she was too good for 21-year-old Croatian Petra Martic.
"After the US Open I started to believe in myself more and I started to do more practice and fitness things," said the German, who has charged up the world rankings in the last 12 months.
"I know that I can beat the top players and now I am one of them. I think that nobody wants to play against me right now."
